Tag: prayer

In Luke 8, Jesus is surrounded by a crowd of people who want to see him, touch him, and be healed by him. Word had gotten out about the miracles being performed by him and curiosity runs rampant throughout the cities and villages through which he travels.

He shares parables, one about the Sower, another about the Lamp. He challenges those crowding around him to do more than just be curious or seek to be able to say, “I saw Jesus,” or, “I was there when…” He encourages them to own the faith that is being planted in their hearts. Let it take root, be bold to live it out and don’t hide it from the world.

The people continue to press in, wanting more, wanting everything He is willing to give them.

Then his mom and brothers show up, wanting to talk to him about something. They try to get through the crowd to Jesus, but cannot because the people surrounding him are literally smashed hip-to-hip and shoulder-to-shoulder. And if you know anything about Middle-Eastern culture (Shoot, if you have ever ridden on a subway!) then you know they aren’t about to part and let someone go through just because they politely say, “excuse me!” If you want to get through the crowd, you have to fight to do so.

So the disciples, seeing Mary and the boys’ frustration, try to help. “Your mother and brothers are standing outside. They want to see you.”

Now, for a long time Jesus’ response seemed kind of sassy to me. Out of place, even. But today as I read this passage and compared it with a couple of modern-language translations (this often helps clarify difficult passages) I saw something different. Jesus refused to turn away from the desperate, searching crowd pressing in to him, begging and demanding to receive blessing and teaching from him. He said to the disciples, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the Word of God and do it.”

I don’t believe Jesus was dismissing his mother or his brothers. I believe his words were spoken for the benefit of the crowd. In essence, he was telling them…

“You matter. You are loved. You are important to me, as important as anyone else I have ever known…including my own family. You have my full attention as long as you need it.”

He knew the hearts of those surrounding them, their desire to learn the Word of God and please their Heavenly Father. They wanted to be made better, to know what they were doing wrong and be taught how to live in a way that honored and pleased God. And that attitude of humility, of strength and determined pressing in to the only One who could provide what their souls needed, captured the full attention of Jesus…so much so that he told his Mom and brothers to, in my words, “Hold tight for a sec, I’m busy and this is something that can’t wait.”

How does that make you feel? I tell you what, it brings me such a sense of belonging. To imagine that my seeking after him, asking for wisdom and wanting everything he has for me, captures his attention so much that he will tell his own mama to wait…

Wow.

This seals the deal for me, that no distraction or activity is more important than pressing in to Jesus. No social event, no social media, no time-consuming “what-have-you” that is done to “fill time” is a better use of my time than finding out how to know my Savior more intimately and use the gifts He has given me to bring glory and honor to him. It doesn’t mean I don’t relax or enjoy reading a good blog. (Hello!) It means that everything I do is funneled through the sieve of my relationship with God. That I purpose and do my best to live without wasted time. In the words of Brother Lawrence…

Or, “Lord of all blogs and Facebook memes, make me a saint by writing only from your inspiration and not to gain attention for myself.”

Or, “Lord of all craft rooms and boxes of paint, make me saint by creating beautiful things that remind us of You and by cleaning up my mess.”

Or even, “Lord of all books and overloaded shelves, make me a saint by reading great words that draw me closer to you and help me understand the Great Story you are writing over us.”

I could go on and on…insert your favorite way to relax or have down-time and just see how, maybe, God can use it…use you doing it…to refine you and draw you closer to Jesus. To give you an opportunity to have His full attention because He sees your pursuit of wisdom and spiritual maturity and HE HONORS IT. He honors it by turning His face toward you and talking to you as if you are the only person in the room.

Jesus’ actions in this chapter tell me something very important…

Obedience is thicker than blood.

May we find ways to weave obedience to the teachings of Jesus and the promptings of the Holy Spirit in the tiny, mundane details of our every day routine! It will be in this that we become a people who truly know how to filter out the noise and live simply…for Him.

My everyday tasks are made more simple when decisions are straightforward.

As you probably remember, I spent the better part of Autumn 2017 purging like a crazy woman. I got rid of possessions that I did not need, no longer wanted, and were just taking up space. One thing that surprised me was the stuff in my kitchen.

It surprised me because I had done a “purge” just a year or so earlier…Marie Kondo style. But, apparently, I did not go far enough.

You see the measuring cup photo above? I had four of these 2-cup Pyrex lovelies. Plus one 4-cup measuring cup, two Pampered Chef batter bowls (small and large) and about eight various sets of measuring spoons and measuring cup sets. As I boxed up the kitchen for the move I stopped and looked at my unintentional collection. What was my purpose in owning all of these? Some had been given to me, others were decades old. Some were purchased to replace older ones (often because the color was prettier) (I so enjoy pretty kitchen things!) but the older ones never got donated or discarded. I had a very large kitchen with plenty of storage and, well, the older stuff just got pushed to the back of the drawer or cabinet. There were a couple of them that had sentimental value because of who had given them to me but I no longer used them. They were taking up space. Period.

I took a deep breath and decided to choose wisely. I kept the batter bowls (because Pampered Chef!) and only two sets each of measuring spoons and measuring cups. The rest were donated.

This is only one example of the cleaning-out process that preceded our move, but now that we are here in our new home I am so thankful that I did that brutal purge. Because, until now, I did not realize how often my little decisions had just a teeny bit of added stress due to having too many choices.

When I cook, now, my choices are easy. Grab what I need and move on. No more rearranging stacks, shuffling things around or standing there staring blankly before finally picking out what I need. My everyday tasks are made more simple when decisions are straightforward.

Read that again.

My everyday tasks are made more simple when decisions are straightforward.

We clutter up our minds when we clutter up our homes. We become saddled under the weight of our possessions because we refuse to let things go. This applies to our physical lives as well as our emotional and spiritual lives!

Proverbs 2:4-5 says,

If you sift through the clamor of everything around youto seek her like some precious prize,to search for her like buried treasure;Then you will grasp what it means to truly respect the Eternal,and you will have discovered the knowledge of the one True God.

(The Voice)

Sifting through the clamor. That can manifest in so many different ways: getting rid of possessions, thinning out our book collection (The. Hardest. For. Me.), turning off the TV or radio and learning to function in absolute quiet, getting up (and going to bed) earlier so fatigue doesn’t cloud my thinking, choosing friends more wisely, sticking to a grocery list or (gasp) reading a good and beautiful book instead of scrolling mindlessly through social media. It is in the little choices, made all throughout each day, that we begin to reduce mental strain and find white space in our lives, space that allows rest and results in the restoration and recognition of who we are created to be.

God never called us to be busy for busy’s sake, or to have a calendar so filled to the brim that we dread waking up in the morning.

In 1 Corinthians 3:3, Paul says,

…you are still living in the flesh, not in the Spirit. How do I know? Are you fighting with one another? Are you comparing yourselves to others and becoming consumed with jealousy? Then it sounds like you are living in the flesh, no different from the rest who live by the standards of this rebellious and broken world.

(The Voice)

I believe the need to have and consume and hoard (whether physically or spiritually) is a form of living in the flesh. It is sign of a lack of faith, of fearing there will not be enough or holding on to an idol. We compare ourselves to others and want to keep up, have what they have, or even do what they do. But if it causes stress or burdens us, holding us back from becoming who we are created to be, it most likely should not be in our lives or homes.

This is not a legalistic proposition, but a practical one. It doesn’t mean we all have to sell our possessions and give everything to the poor (unless God calls us to) but it means we are intentional with what we have in our homes, creating beauty and space and an inviting environment within which we raise our children and entertain guests.

It means cultivating spiritual disciplines and making sure the time is there, each day, to spend time with God in prayer and reading His Word. Non-negotiable.

It means being selective about who we “let in” as close friends, trusting the truly trustworthy and choosing to be an influencer for the Kingdom instead of being constantly blown back and forth by the winds of society for the sake of “fitting in.”

I guess it is a little strange that God would teach me this from a pile of discarded measuring utensils! But, as usual, He shows up in the everyday mundane…when it is quiet and I am alone with my thoughts. But as I dwell on the truth He has given me, I pray that I am obedient, letting it transform my life and making me more like Jesus who was fully satisfied in His Father.

I knew He would do it. He always does. Every year I look for it. In songs, in books, in billboards even. I wonder if I am grasping at straws or just making it up. Is it a product of my imagination? How will I know when it is the one and not something my brain is misfiring and creating of it’s own choosing?